The PlayStation 2 is the best selling console of all time, this was, in part, due to its exclusive games and DVD playback.
The idea of being able to watch a film on a console is normal nowadays with assess to YouTube and streaming services but in 2000 it was a brand new idea, the PS1 and Sega Saturn could play music CDs but consoles were still viewed purely as games machines and nothing more. At launch the PS2 was priced in a similar range to a DVD player which meant people could buy a full console and a DVD player for the price of one. The GameCube and Dreamcast did not offer DVD support and the Xbox required customers to buy a remote to navigate DVD menus and, in Brazil, a disc was released for the PS2 that would allow it to access Netflix. The PS2 was also part of the console generation that saw the beginning of online games and some are still online today with third party support, the console only supported a wired connection with a network adapter. The console had a huge graphical jump from the PS1 with smoother edges that allowed for more human character models. The PS2's game library was very diverse due to having more western game developers than the PS1, this included the Grand Theft Auto series which started on the PS1 but wouldn't achieve mainstream success until GTA III on PS2, this was partly because the PS2 allowed the game to have a vast open world as opposed to the limited top-down perspective of the first two games. Output from Japanese developers remained strong with Final Fantasy X being the first game in the series with voice acting on top of remaining PlayStation exclusive. The PS2 was initially very big but received a redesign in 2004 that reduced it to 10% of its original size while keeping all of its functionality and allowed the console to access the internet without the expansion port and the top loading disc drive meant you could change the disc without having the console on. The PS2 remained in production until 2013 with the last game being FIFA 14. |
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